By Megan Anderson HOMETOWN NEWS megan@hometown-news.com Too often you hear that someone was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but four local men, all members of Hopewell Baptist Church, recently experienced what it feels like to truly be in the right place at the right time. Don Hamrick, David Doan, Michael Snipes and Ben McCall recently traveled to New Orleans on a mission trip as part of Operation New Orleans Area Home (NOAH) Rebuild. From Monday, Mar. 24 through Saturday, Mar.29, these men gave their time, energy, and skills to an effort to help 1,000 families return to their hurricane-damaged homes. More than two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, organizers from NOAH are continuing to rebuild homes, as well as starting or restarting churches. To rehab more than 1,000 homes and 20 churches, they are in particular need of skilled workers, including carpenters, electricians, and plumbers. The organization had some its prayers answered, though, when the group from Hopewell Baptist Church arrived. The four Blacksburg residents, and two other area men who joined them, had the exact skill-sets needed for the job. In addition to serving as the Missions Coordinator at Hopewell Baptist, Hamrick works as a service technician at Duke Energy. Besides his work in Electric Transmissions, he also has a background in dry-wall installation and carpentry. Doan is self-employed as a plumber at Blacksburg’s Iron City Plumbing and Snipes works as a carpenter. McCall is a mechanical engineer with Diversified Textile Machinery in Kings Mountain and certainly added to the mix. The group was also fortunate to have two trained electricians participating in the trip, as well. Williams “Whee Dee” Evans, a member of First Baptist Church in Shelby, and Michael Brockman, a member of First Wesleyan Church in Bessemer City, also work for Duke Energy, and lent their experience. The six missionaries went to work in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans that is part of 9th Ward, where the first levies broke. Kenner is located on the west side of New Orleans, and is bordered by the Mississippi River to the south and Lake Pontchartrain to the north. ”It seems like that’s where God wanted us to go, and we prayed about it,” said Hamrick. While they were there, the group of men were able to help a couple put siding on their now - elevated house and work with a widowed, retired school teacher to get her home to the final stage of construction needed for inspection. “We worked with this one family that were doing the work themselves and it was really inspiring to see them working and doing that,” said Snipes. Though the men knew Katrina had ravaged the area, actually seeing the living conditions in Kenner had a profound effect on the men. “It makes you appreciate Blacksburg,” said Doan. “You see all the areas prone to flooding, and it makes you appreciate where you live. It makes you appreciate a small town, when you see the problems and devastation they had.” Being in Kenner and interacting with the residents helped McCall realize how much the people affected actually suffered. “We saw amazing devastation, even two and half years after the catastrophe or Hurricane Katrina, with row upon row of houses standing empty and unlivable from the effects of wind and water,” said McCall. “The people who have decided to return to their homes and rebuild have been beset by government inefficiencies and bureaucracy, incompetent and corrupt contractors and evasive insurance companies.” Despite the devastation, though, the Blacksburg men met remarkable people, who had positive attitudes and were very appreciative of the help. “Those people were really glad to see us,” said Doan. Hamrick was affected by meeting a man who was still thankful for what he had. “After all the things that had happened to him, he still had a positive attitude,” he said. Though other members of the group had been on other mission trips, Hamrick had actually been to Louisiana in September of 2005, just after Hurricane Katrina hit. As an employee at Duke, Hamrick was part of crew sent to restore power to the area. He saw total devastation and complete chaos on his first trip. He estimated that 90 percent of the power system there was destroyed. Comparing his two trips, he appreciated the fact that he got to meet the families affected and interact with them in a way he didn’t on the first trip. “It was a privilege to go,” said Hamrick. “I just think it was great to give back after what God has given us, just using our talents to give back, like He’s given us.” Even though they were away from their own wives and children, all the men found it incredibly rewarding to be able to help families get back into their homes after two and half years. “That’s pretty much what I’d say was the highlight – going down there and seeing the appreciativeness of this family, of this group we worked with, and how they’re coming along and how hard they’re working,” said Snipes. McCall agreed. “I feel especially grateful to be a part of the effort to help the people of New Orleans get back into their homes,” he said. “They were extremely thankful for the assistance and praised everyone who has come to help them and their neighbors.” Their fellow members at Hopewell Baptist couldn’t be prouder of them. “I’m happy that our church is mission-minded,” said Pastor Terry Lowe. “And I’m grateful that these men were willing to sacrifice their time and effort to lend a helping hand in the name of Christ.”